Web-mounted pleating brackets

ABSTRACT

A hanger for pleated curtains comprises a flexible elongate web adapted for receiving fasteners to secure the web to a support, and a plurality of curtain extension blocks affixed to the web and extending orthogonally from a front surface thereof for receiving curtain supporting fasteners. The blocks are composed of wood and are substantially identical being secured to the web regularly spaced apart. The web is preferably composed of jute fabric and is attached with fasteners to a substantially horizontal wooden fascia backboard which is wall-mounted.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to fixtures for holding hangingfabric to walls. More specifically, it relates to brackets for hangingthe fabric from a top portion thereof to form pleats.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common practice to cover the walls of interior spaces such astheaters and auditoriums with fabric for various functional anddecorative reasons. Functionally, fabric sidewalls provide superioracoustic properties. To install sidewall curtains, it is well known toutilize a thin strip of metal having pleat-forming U-shaped extensionsfor engaging and securing the fabric. The extensions form hangers whichproject outwardly from the surface of the wall to form vertical pleatsin hanging fabric when the top edge of the fabric is attached along thesurface of the strip. Various examples of this type of prior art deviceare shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,578 issued to Stallone;U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,426 issued to Sperling; U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,211issued to Sperling; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,356 issued to Sickels et al.As shown in both of the Sperling patents, it is known to utilize abracket with movable extending hangers to provide adjustable hangers andthereby the possibility of irregular spacing for the pleats in thefabric or to reduce the storage and shipping volume so that thedisassembled brackets occupy less space.

Despite these advancements in the art, the present systems are stillmade from rigid materials and are most commonly formed from thin sheetmetal. Therefore, even though the bracket strips are separable from thehanger extensions, they are difficult to handle and ship since thestrips are provided in rigid elongate pieces approximately eight feet inlength. In addition, although metal provides great economies ofmanufacture, it is less conducive to nailing or stapling the fabricthan, for example, wood. There is therefore a need in the art to providea versatile, pleat-forming fabric hanger system which is lightweight,economical to manufacture, may be conveniently compacted for storage andshipping, and which lends itself to ease of handling and installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the invention to meet the needs in the art describedabove. The present invention has been devised in which wooden blocks areemployed to provide the pleat-forming hanger extensions and a flexibleweb material is utilized to secure and position the wood blocks so theyextend perpendicularly outward from the surface of the wall. Structuralintegrity is provided by the wallboard to which the web is tightly andvery securely attached.

More specifically, the applicant has devised a hanger for pleatedcurtains comprising a flexible elongate web adapted for receivingfasteners to secure the web to a support, and a plurality of curtainextension blocks affixed to the web and extending orthogonally from afront surface thereof for receiving curtain supporting fasteners. Theblocks are composed of wood and are substantially identical beingsecured to the web regularly spaced apart. The web is preferablycomposed of jute fabric and is attached with fasteners to asubstantially horizontal wooden fascia backboard which is wall-mounted.

This construction provides many advantages. For example, the backing webassembled to the extension blocks may be rolled into a coil for compactshipping or storage. When a flexible material such as heavy jute is usedfor the webbing, the web can be easily nailed or stapled through tofirst secure the bracket assembly to a backboard or to subsequentlyattach the fabric along the surface of the web and hanger blocks. Inaddition, the web may be easily cut to length and the fact that theassembly is flexible makes it much easier for installers to handle thanthe rigid, elongate metal strips of the prior art.

From the following drawings and description of the preferred embodiment,it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the objects ofthe invention have been achieved. While the invention will be describedwith the reference to a specific embodiment, the following descriptionis illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limitingthe invention. Various modifications to the present invention can bemade to the preferred embodiment by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It will benoted here that for better understanding like components are designatedby the reference numerals throughout the various figures of drawingwhich follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top right front perspective view of the curtain-hangingsystem of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top right front perspective view of the flexible web withthe pleat-forming extension blocks mounted thereto.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the web/pleat block combination coiledcompactly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention 11 comprises a flexibleweb preferably composed of a jute fabric to which regularly spacedwooden pleat-forming extension blocks 15 are mounted. The web 13 may besecured to fascia board 17 by way of fastener 16 such as staples. Thisfigure also depicts a curtain 20 which is similarly affixed by staplesto the extensions 15 and the front surface of the web 13 which formspleats 21 in the curtain 20.

FIG. 2 shows the curtain-hanging structure 11 in isolation. A series ofevenly spaced wooden extension blocks 15 are secured to the web by anyconvenient means such as nails or staples 18. FIG. 3 depicts how theflexibility of the structures of the invention permits it to be coiledinto a compact volume for ease of handling, storage, or shipping. Web 13may be easily rolled into a coil around pleat blocks 15.

It should be understood that there may be other modifications andchanges to the present invention that will be obvious to those of skillin the art from the foregoing description, however, the presentinvention should be limited only by the following claims and their legalequivalents.

1. A hanger for pleated curtains, comprising: a flexible elongate webadapted for receiving fasteners to secure said web to a support; and aplurality of extension blocks affixed to said web and extendingorthogonally from a front surface thereof for receiving curtainsupporting fasteners.
 2. The hanger of claim 1 wherein said blocks aresecured to said web a spaced distance apart.
 3. The hanger of claim 2wherein said blocks are regularly spaced.
 4. The hanger of claim 3wherein each of said blocks is substantially identical.
 5. The hanger ofclaim 4 wherein the blocks are composed of wood.
 6. The hanger of claim1 wherein said web is composed of fabric.
 7. The hanger of claim 6wherein said web is composed of jute.
 8. A curtain hanger assemblyincluding the hanger of claim 1 and further including a wall-mountedsubstantially horizontal fascia backboard to which said hanger isaffixed only by attachment to said web.
 9. The hanger assembly of claim8 wherein said backboard and said hanger blocks are composed of wood.